Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
On today's show, the Bucks prepare for their final preseason game,
what's the latest with Jade McMillan, what's the latest with
Tristan Wurfs and what needs to get cleaned up before
Atlanta next on this edition of The Box Report, Let's
get out then then then well, hello and welcome into
(00:52):
this edition of the Box Report, part of the Box
Report podcast network. I'm so glad you decided to join
me today. As always, this podcast is free and available
on all the major platforms. My name is Dan Holmie.
You can find me on Twitter. It's at Dan Caps
two and eight. You can find the show on Twitter,
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(01:13):
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The Bucks Report is a part of the Bucks Report
podcast network. Check them out online bucksreports dot com. This
(01:34):
episode is also simulcast on the Bucks minute Cast podcast feed,
a part of the fans' first sports network. So let's
get into it, talking about the Buccaneers as they prepare
for their final preseason game against the Bills, and then
it's off to where everything matters against Atlanta and game
(01:56):
one of the regular season and already so much drama
surrounding this team. But before we get going into it,
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So let's dive into it. Talking about the Bucks here,
a lot of news to get into. Teddy bridgewater strong performance,
Jalen McMillan's scary injury, updates on Tristan Wurf's and Chris Godwin,
(02:40):
plus what to expect in the preseason finale against the Bills,
and what's the first what's the big glaring story I'll
talk about right off the top here is the injury
to Jalen McMillan. He's gonna miss a substantial amount of time.
Not optimal timing here, guys, we know that. We know
that Chris Godwin is going to be out for a bit,
(03:04):
so that does mean that the depth at the wide
receiver position is going to get put to test. We
know that a mecca at Buka. We know that there
is Evans and Sterling Shephard as number three, plus you
got Palmer in the mix. It is already going to
be quite a challenge for the Buccaneers right out of
(03:24):
the gate. But I think they're up for it. I
think they are up for their fifth consecutive NFC self title.
But let's get into it talking about Teddy Bridgewater stepping
up and you know the quarterback battle. Who is quarterback
number two? Is it going to be Teddy Bridgewater? Is
that going to be the case? Is it going to
be Kyle Trask? A lot of questions, Plus you have
(03:48):
Basilac in the mix. Who is going to be in
the mix in the preseason finale is what is said
is that there is going to be no starters in
this game, So expect to see Trask, Bridgewater, Basilac, this
kind of thing. But we know for certain is no
Baker Mayfield, but Teddy Bridgewater. We know the veteran QB
(04:11):
looked pretty sharp against the Steelers, really sharp. He was decisive,
the ball was out quick, he had rhythm with the receivers,
and let's be honest, that's what the team needed to see.
Hopefully it never comes to using your backup QB right
if in fact Teddy Brett Bridgewater is the guy. But
if that is the case, it's good to have those
(04:32):
assurednesses going into the season because behind Baker Mayfield, the
backup spot is still wide open. Kyle Trask is still
in the mix. And it's interesting thing here to see that.
You know, there was that supposed quarterback battle when Baker
Mayfield first came here. I never really thought it was
the case, but that is where we're at right now.
(04:55):
But Teddy, all things considered, he looked like the guy.
Not only that he got the offense moving and quite
an accomplishment for a guy that had, you know, a
significant amount of rust in my estimation, and you could
you take a look at it. This guy was kind
of in mothballs, the cryogenic deep freeze, if you will,
(05:16):
and they thought him out, you know, Jason light reached
out and you know it was it was the right
place at the right time for Teddy Bridgewater. We know
that this team had been all in on Teddy before,
but now the time was just right. And if you know,
if called upon, he will make a good backup option.
But and the thing of it is having Teddy in
(05:38):
the fold. That's the kind of veteran presence you want
in your quarterback room, someone who can step in, stabilize
things and keep the offense afloat if Baker goes down
and you know he is he is a bit prone
to the injury bug, isn't he at the end of
the day that he is a guy that will hustle.
And I know that they don't like him running with
(05:59):
the football as much as we have seen from him
like last season, But that is just kind of intrinsically
what kind of football player Baker Mayfield is is he
is a guy if there's not an open receiver, then
he's going to run for it if he thinks he
can get first down. So now do I think Teddy
(06:20):
Bridgewater is pushing Baker for QB one? No, this is
Baker's team. That was never the battle. But is what
the big thing is is to bring in that veteran
stability in worst case scenario emergency break glass that the
Buccaneers feel more confident pulling out Teddy Bridgewater than Kyle
(06:40):
Trask in my estimation, as Kyle Trask has not looked
overly sharp, shall we say, in the preseason, but having
Bridgewater as the backup that makes me feel a whole
lot better about the depth chart. And you know, like
I said at the end of the day, if he
can serve as a good mentor for Kyle Trask, then
I think that's a good But what are some of
(07:01):
the things that we know is that sometimes the starting
quarterback will reach out to the backup and say, hey,
what are you seeing here? You know, maybe what kind
of plays are developing? How should I adjust? And having
a guy like Teddy in the mix who has a
lot of miles on his NFL odometer is invaluable, right
I don't think that's easily quantifiable and a lot better
(07:22):
position than to reach out to Kyle Trask. As we know,
he doesn't have a lot, he doesn't have a lot
of reps in the NFL. So an ideal situation early
take I think, of course that I think that it
is going to be a Baker Mayfield one in Teddy
Bridgewater two. But hey, lots up in the air, right,
I think that, And we don't know are they going
(07:43):
to have three quarterbacks? It seems like kind of a
no brainer that you would, but I've heard rumblings that
they might have two in the mix, you know, but
you know, like I said, Basilic in the mix as well.
It's interesting. So they want to get a look at
these depth quarterbacks so they can go out and make
the right decision because you know, when you go into
(08:03):
the season, we know it's baker worst case scenario if
he does, in fact get injured, that you want to
make sure and you have a good option behind door
number two. All right, So coming up here after the break,
we'll talk about the injury that it wasn't the thing
that we wanted to see. Jalen nick Millan leaves the
game and will not not be back for a substantial
(08:24):
amount of time. What's the latest I'll discuss straight ahead.
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fitty bucks. All right, let's dive into it in the
next segment here as we talk about the unfortunate injury
to Jalen McMillan. Not optimal, right, I think that he
(09:32):
really kind of came onto the scene and I think
exceeded my expectations, you know, just kind of just blowing up.
And you know, I don't think that there was really
high hopes for him going into last season. But you know,
injuries are a commonplace on the Buccaneers. We've seen it,
of course with Godwin, we have seen you know, Mike
(09:55):
Evans being more prone to being bit by the injury
bug here as of late. So having Jalen in the
full is huge and doing these shows, you know, It's
like talking to someone. You want the good news or
the bad news. Well, let's go to the bad news,
and that's Jalen McMillan out and this one hurts. The
second year wide out goes up, makes an eighteen yard
(10:15):
catch over the middle and boom, he gets undercut by
Joey Porter Junior. Not optimal Teddy Bridgewater was a bit
of an airmail there. He did the damn thing right.
He jumped up, caught the football, brought it down, but
got undercut, spun and landed awkwardly on his head and
neck area. And when you saw it, you thought to yourself, well,
(10:38):
that's not good. That's not good at all. And as
it turns out, it wasn't good. He was wincing in pain.
And the one thing I'm thankful for in all of
this is that he is not injured as bad as
we thought, because there was a feeling out there that
you know, that could be a neck injury, and those
can be very bad. But what we saw the day
(11:00):
after at practice was that he was there with the
neck brace on. So it makes me feel like that
it's bad, but maybe not as bad as we once thought.
So let's talk about that. He stayed down, trainers ran out.
Eventually he walked off, but later they carted him back
and now severe neckt s, brain headed to injury reserve.
(11:20):
Could miss up to eight weeks around the buy there.
That's a huge blow. But the one thing that we
know about the Buccaneers is they have a lot of
depth at the wide receiver position. Again Godwin Evans, when
they're healthy, the number one and number two you can
kind of vacillate back and forth on whoever that might be.
(11:41):
Then you know, if he wasn't injured, I would say
it was or then I would say it's Agbuka, then McMillan,
and you can kind of go down from there, Sterling, Shepherd, Palmer,
that kind of thing. So it's a good thing that
they have options like Sterling Shepherd and I have no
concern going into the season with Shepherd and Palmer in there.
Would it be better to have McMillan in there, of course,
(12:01):
But as a number one, number two you have Evans
and Agbuka, that's pretty solid. You know, Sprinkle in some
Sterling Shepherd and Palmer and you know things could be worse, right,
I mean, you take a look at some other teams
around the NFL that don't have nearly as great of
options as the Buccaneers have at that position. So a blow, yes,
(12:21):
but maybe not as bad as it would be for
other teams, because let's be real here. You know, McMillan
was ascending. He finished last year red hot, eight touchdowns
in his last five games, and came into camp looking strong,
look like a breakout guy that he wasn't just a
flash in the pan. That this guy's trajectory was aimed
straight up at the moon. But now he's sidelined even worse.
(12:45):
Chris Godwin's not ready, but we knew that. And you know,
when Chris Godwin is engaged, there's not a lot of
wide receivers that are better than him. In my humble opinion,
you know, you could argue around that, but I like
Chris Godwin's game, like Mike Evans game. I think that
they're in a good position. And we saw him at camp,
(13:06):
and you know, he was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt
and in that Florida weather, and some people are like,
why is he wearing those clothes? He must not be
in really great shape. I guess I wasn't reading that
too much into it, but apparently other people were so
hopefully that Godwin is good to go when the time
is called for. So your depth Thatt wide receiver. I
(13:29):
think we're pretty good. Some people think it's shaky. You
got Evans, you got Agbuka, and he looks the part,
but McMillan was supposed to be that third reliable weapon.
Now the options now Bowls has to turn to Sterling Shepherd,
Ted Johnson, maybe rakeem Jarrett, even though that that isn't
adendum that changed as we heard there was some change
(13:50):
ups there as well. But if I'm going to book it,
you know, just a little peek behind the curtain here,
I kind of write this show throughout the week that Sterling,
Shepherd and Palmer those kind of guys in the mix.
But someone's got to step up. And honestly, don't be
surprised if Jason Light looks to add another veteran receiver,
maybe because this offense can't be too thin in week one. Again,
(14:15):
I'm not fretting as much as some people are. I
think that obviously that the Buccaneers would be in a
better position had they had those people in the mix.
But we kind of just have to adjust on the fly,
as there has been some signings and some shakeups here,
which I'll get to. I'm kind of when I do
this show, I do it in chronological order, from the
(14:35):
last game all the way up to the most recent
news before I hit the record button. All right, so
coming up here after the break, we'll talk about defensive
injuries and Trey Avery signing straight ahead. Today's episode is
(14:55):
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beef jerky today. All right, welcome back into this edition
of the Bucks Report, part of the Bucks Report podcast network. Again,
this podcast is also simulcast on the Bucks Minicast podcast feed,
(16:03):
part of the Fans First Sports Network. So, talking about
the Bucks as we edge closer and closer to the
start of the regular season. One preseason game left against
the Bills, and what are the things that we know.
Not going to be any starters, That's what Boll said,
So it's going to be depth guys looking to solidify
(16:26):
a spot either on the big team, on the practice squad.
Guys that were secondary, tertiary, bubble guys. This is their
time to shine. So let's dive into that. Talking about
the team and some signings here, let's talk about that.
It's not just the receivers banged up. The secondary is
(16:46):
hurting bad. Okay, Christian Izzy and left the Steelers game
with an oblique injury. And that's on top of Antoine
Winfield Junior dealing with a hamstring, Benjamin Morrison hamstring. JJ
Roberts need done for the year. Injury injury, injury, injury.
So when you hear Jason Klight, you know, signing these
(17:09):
players and sometimes it just seems like an abundance of
wealth at certain positions. In the previous segment, I talked
about wide receiver, but talking about the secondary banged up
and I think they were reaching four more options. That's
four five guys in the dB room all injured. So
what did the Bucks do? They sign Trey Avery, fourth
(17:31):
year corner Rutgers kid played with the Titans, bounced around
this offseason. He's not a star, but he's death and
we're we haven't even played the first game of the
season and we're reaching into the cupboard and it's empty.
So we're going to have to door dash it and
bring in Trey Avery. He's experienced thirty plus games, a
handful of starts, and right now you need bodies. The
(17:55):
bigger issue though now, is how much does this bleed
into the regular season because us because this is where
it gets tricky. If Winfield isn't one hundred percent in
Week one, that changes everything. And what do we like?
We like Winfield, he's a dynamic player, all of those
kind of things, but he is a bit prone to
(18:16):
being injured. You know, he plays larger than life, big minutes,
and the perils of that, oftentimes are being injured. Same
with Izzy and Boll's defense is built on versatility, on depth,
but when you're reaching down to your third or fourth options,
that's a problem. You're not going to see your best.
So they're gonna need to see the players step up.
(18:38):
So yeah, that's finale against Buffalo. It's all about seeing
which young dbs can step up and make the roster
because the Bucks might need them sooner than later. So
interesting positions for the Buccaneers to be in. Again, we're
kind of getting, you know, making these acquisitions, reaching deep
(18:58):
into the cupboard, those kind of things. Not optimal timing.
All right, Let's next talk about Tristan Wurfs and Chris
Godwins recovery updates. Let's switch to some better news because
it seems like this episode has been pretty peppered with
injury news. Let's switch to some better news. Tristan Wurf's
(19:18):
The Big Guy is back at practice, not full goal,
but moving working, so that is encouraging. So let's talk
about some better news here. Talking about Tristan Wurfs and
Chris Godwin's injury, The Big Guy is back at practice,
not full go, but moving, working, getting back into a rhythm.
(19:40):
That's huge because a healthy Worfs, he's the anchor. That
was the biggest blow so far as far as injuries
are concerned. We know the role that Tristan Wurfs plays
with his team and the great relationship that he has
with Baker Mayfield. So just plug and play. You can't
(20:02):
just pick a guy up on the open market and
expect him to replace Tristan Works. So the very fact
that these guys are relatively relatively trending in the right
direction has me feeling good because what role does he
play with the Bucks. He is the one who protects
Baker's blind side, and their relationship, like I said, is huge.
(20:24):
I think that Baker plays more confidently when Works is
out there because he knows he's not going to get
smacked as easily. He's the one who sets the tone
in the run game, you know, because that's the thing.
Without him, the offense looks totally different. And Chris Godwin
another positive update as well. Still no timeline, Still not
(20:47):
practicing fully, but Bull said he is quote on on
track quote trending in the right direction, and you know,
the thing of it is, and I spoke about this.
If you listen or watch this show on a regular basis,
you know that I applaud Jason Light and what he
has done by addressing and kind of peeking into the
(21:09):
future that he's not, you know, exclusively caught up with
how the Bucks all right now because we know that
Godwin's not going to be around forever. And you know,
at the end of the day, I hate to even
vocalize this and bring it to existence, but sometimes a
bit of a liability and what do I mean when
he's on the field, there is you know, virtually no
(21:29):
one better than him in my opinion. But just given
the fact that he does get injured on a frequent basis,
and you know, Mike Evans, you know, hamstring issues, those
kind of things, that it's a good thing that you
have guys like mc millan, like Egbuka, like these kind
of guys, because those are going to be your future
(21:49):
wide receivers peppered in with whatever kind of players they
draft between now and then. But in the here, right here,
right now, Chris Godwin trending in the right directtion is
good because with McMillan out, the Bucks need Godwin. Mike
Evans can do it alone. Like I said, you got it,
Guka showing promise, but he's still a rookie. And you know,
(22:13):
it's a good thing that they have Shepherd and Palmer,
these kind of guys. You need Godwin's hands, his third
down reliability, his red zone presence, and just think back,
you know, just historically how great he's been and how
great the Buccaneers are with an Evans Godwin tandem. So
hopefully these next couple of weeks bring good news. Of course,
keep it right here to the Bucks Report podcast or
(22:36):
Bigger Picture Bucksreport dot Com your go to source for
Buccaneers news, so you guys can be in the know
when it comes to the Bucks again. I do the
Bucks Minute cast a few times a week. I do
the Bucks Report as kind of a longer form edition
of that show. I bring you the news around the Buccaneers,
and I hope to come to you guys in short
(22:57):
order telling you that things are better. That Works is
edge and closer, and so is Godwin. And listen, Works
is a bit out and Godwin is going to be
a while as well. But the very fact that they're
kind of in the mix and they're slowly making their
way back, you know, practicing that kind of thing, getting
in on some of the action. That's huge because if
Worfs and Godwin can be back soon, that could be huge.
(23:20):
Now to close it out here, we're talking about the
Bills playing the Bills in the preseason finale and roster cuts.
Let's bring it home Friday night Bucks Bills, and don't
expect to see the starters. Bull said that they're sitting.
That's one all of the but this one's all about
the bubble guys. Like I said the last audition before
(23:41):
cutdown days. So what am I watching personally? First, the
secondary with all the injuries, which young dbs step up?
Second wide receiver McMillan down and Godwin out, Someone has
to flash. Third, the backup QB battle Trask versus you know,
whoever is going to be playing out there. You know,
it could be Bridgewater, it could be Baslac. You know,
(24:03):
we don't know for that third spot behind Teddy and forth.
The trenches. Offensive line depth, the defensive line depth. Some
jobs are still up for grabs, and Bulls puts it perfectly.
Somebody's always watching. If you're on the bubble, if your
secondary tertiary. If you're a guy that's just fighting for
your NFL life, you better bring it in this game
(24:27):
or you might be on the practice squad or even
a worst case scenario, looking for a job or on
the NFL. So yeah, this game matters. And the people
that say I don't tune into preseason games, you should
because these are the guys that are fighting for their
NFL lives and more specifically, they're fighting for their spot
on your favorite team. In mind the Buccaneers. You know,
(24:50):
the thing of it is, and you know it's you
can't live your life in the rear view mirror, you know,
just talking about the Bucks here and watching the game
against the Steelers, a game that held little significance, you know,
except for, like I said, the bubble guys that the
guys that are looking for jobs that you know, Jalen
McMillan getting injured not optimal, and I think to myself,
(25:13):
why was he in this game? Well? Why? Because they
have to feel the team out there. It's just unfortunate
that it had to happen. Now, listening to other podcasts,
I listened to Stroud, I listened to Locked on Bucks.
These guys and the talk out there with James Yarco
from Locked on Bucks is he was hoping that Baker
(25:35):
Mayfield would get some reps and Rick Stroud on his
show changed his mind. He flip flopped. He acknowledged he
flip flop that he thought that Baker Mayfield should get
some playing time. His opinion was similar to mine that,
you know, Baker Mayfield should not be out there. I'm
still in the camp and it doesn't really matter because
(25:55):
he's not going to play. But I stand by the
decision not to put Baker may Field in there because
could you imagine a more you know, worst case scenario
there right now? Then the Bucks go into game number
one and Baker Mayfield is injured and it's going to
be Teddy or it's going to be Trask, or it's
going to be you know this, that guy. That it's
(26:16):
a good thing. And I applaud the decision. And you know,
the feeling out there was that maybe Baker Mayfield being
rusty is could make the Buccaneers lose a game. Listen,
I would rather the Buccaneers lose one game. I would
rather the Buccaneers lose their first two games if that's
what it takes. To get Baker Mayfield warmed up. I
(26:36):
don't think that's going to be the case. But if
that's your thought process, hear me out here. Then having
Baker injured and missing a substantial amount of time, imagine
if he's out for the season, imagine him being out
until the bye week. The season could be over before
it even started. And you know, listen to these shows,
(26:56):
you know, listen to Strouder's show. He was talking with
Steve Versnick and we're talking about Burrow, you know, in
Cincinnati and getting reps in that kind of stuff. Good.
I'm glad for the Bengals, right. You see that Lamar
Jackson got dinged up. I haven't kept up on that
one how serious that injury is, but it is a
thing that these players can get injured. And you know,
you take a look at the wide receivers. I think
(27:18):
the Buccaneers will be okay. It's not optimal to not
have Godwin, It's not optimal to not have McMillan, Tristan
Wurf's hurts Antwine Winfield junior. If out is going to hurt,
I get all of those things. However, those positions running back,
wide receiver, I guess you know, the defensive side of
(27:40):
things is a bit different. But I think that big picture,
thirty thousand foot view, the Buccaneers can weather a storm
in those positions a lot better than say, Baker Mayfield's
not in the mix, because as bad as Worf's being out,
as bad as McMillan and all these other players, it
pales in comparison than if the Bucks had to go
(28:00):
into game one and it is Trask or it is
Teddy Bridgewater or one of these kind of guys that
Bridgewater maybe will get you a game or two and
Trask big question mark. You know, there was that mop
up duty against Atlanta that you know, it's time for
these players to rise up, prove their wealth, prove their
(28:21):
worth because it's going to get real here in a
hurry as the Buccaneers play their final game against the
Bills and then it gets real against Atlanta. I hope
that some of these players are ready to go and
I'll have you guys cover the entire way on the
Bucks Report Podcast. All right, once again, I want to
thank you for joining me on this edition of the
(28:42):
Bucks Report Podcast, part of the Bucks Report Podcast Network.
Also on the Bucks Mini Caast, part of the fans
First Sports Network. All right, I'll talk to you guys
again next time. Thanks for listening.